>X-Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Unverified) > >The New York Times of March 10, 2000 reports on the latest non- >decision in the federal courtroom in Miami. > >The Times comments: "Judge Moore, who ran the hearing on a tight time >schedule, seemed sympathetic to the plaintiffs while directing hard >questions at the government's lawyers. > >Judge K. Michael Moore of Federal District Court here, who is also >considering whether his court, and not just the immi- gration >service, has jurisdiction in the custody case, did not rule on >anything today, and would not say when he would rule. > >Elian "has signed a request for asylum, "and he understands it," said >Barbara Lagoa, a lawyer for the boy's great-uncle Lazaro Gonzalez >"Read the full text >here: http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/national/cuban-boy.html > >The Washington Post also has a lengthy report, including this simple >and accurate sentence: "An INS order to send the boy back to Cuba, >supported by Reno and President Clinton, has been in place since >January, but INS officials have held off enforcing it." Read the >Washington Post coverage here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp- >dyn/articles/A44480-2000Mar9.html >--- >Cuba SI: http://www.egroups.com/group/cubasi/ >Imperialism NO! Venceremos! >Information and discussion about Cuba. >Discussion of the path of Ernesto Che Guevara. > > **************** > © Copyright GRANMA INTERNATIONAL DIGITAL EDITION. La Havana. Cuba >Cuba's international cooperation in public health > > Crusade for Life > >* More than 1.9 million people have been treated by Cuban public >health specialists, as the result of a wide-ranging program of >medical cooperation set up in response to the disaster caused by >Hurricane Mitch in Central America >* For the past 40 years, more than 40,000 workers have offered their >services to 80 countries >* Since the earthquake in Chile in 1960, emergency brigades have >responded to almost 20 natural disasters > > BY RAISA PAGES (Granma International staff writer) > >SAVING children from severe malnutrition, curing snake bites, >assisting a childbirth by candlelight, navigating enormous rivers by >canoe in order to vaccinate isolated indigenous communities, walking >through jungles with mud up to the knees: all this is part of the >challenge for Cuban medical personnel participating in international >brigades. > >They can be found in Peten, Ixchan, Quiche or in the Guatemalan >community of La Esperanza, where Cuban Dr. Lisette Alfonso walks 15 >kilometers to reach the densely forested area of Cubil and treat 12 >families who live in huts with palm-thatched roofs. > >Dr. Orlando Perez Rodriguez can be heard asking on a daily basis, >"Chanru Nacacue a?" In the Quechuan language, this means, "How do you >feel?" > >Dr. Perez Rodriguez, the first to arrive in Sayaxche, Guatemala, said >to a journalist, "When I found myself alone in this hovel, without >light, a mattress or food, I felt like running after the truck which >had brought me here and going back with it." > >But he didn't leave, because this Cuban, a native of Villa Clara >province, in the center of Cuba, where Che fought and where his >mausoleum is located, could not let his hero down. It was his memory >which gave Dr. Perez Rodriguez the courage to continue there. "Thank >you, doctor, for saving my child," said Maria Guillen from the Ceiba >area of Honduras, when Dr. Andres Vezquez Cruz, a neurosurgeon, >treated her daughter. His biggest reward was when the little girl, >Xiomara, held his hands after a successful operation carried out to >deal with a two-centimeter opening in her fractured skull, >caused by a stone thrown by gang members. > >The Cuban volunteers work in geographically remote regions, but they >are close to our hearts. They work in communities situated in this >continental band linking North and South America, or on islands which >share the waters of the Caribbean with us, or in Africa, that other >continent which is linked to us not only by the immense Atlantic >Ocean, but also because the blood of their ancestors. Those >bloodlines are one of the key elements, from the times of slavery, >within the amalgam of our national identity. > >After the disasters wrought by Hurricanes Mitch and George in Central >America and the Caribbean, the Cuban government drew up the >guidelines ofthe Integral Health Plan, which entails not only sending >specialized volunteers to give medical assistance to those in need, >but also the training of doctors from those countries who have asked >for Cuban cooperation. > >More than 1.9 million people have been seen and treated by experts >from the Cuban public health system since the end of 1998, when this >plan was put into action. And, from the other perspective, more than >1,500 workers from the Cuban public health system have worked and are >working in countries such as Guatemala, Honduras, Haiti, Belize, >Nicaragua, Paraguay, the Gambia, Niger and Burkina Faso, according to >information made available at the end of 1999. > >According to Minister of Public Health Carlos Dotres, there are a >further 400 doctors who will leave shortly for the following >countries in Africa: Burkina Faso, Botswana and Equatorial Guinea. > >Cuban doctors have carried out more than 25,000 operations since this >program began at the end of 1998. They have brought 6,500 babies into >the world, of whom 738 were caesarean births, explained Dr. Alfredo >Portero, director of the Central Medical Cooperation Unit in the >Ministry of Public Health. > >He added that the number of volunteers is continually increasing, as >more requests are made for more brigades of professionals and >technicians. > >Our doctors, nurses and technicians do not only offer advice and cure >illnesses; they also serve as examples of human kindness, love and >unselfishness to people who are not only lacking in specialized >attention but also in affection and guidance on how to prevent >sickness. > >Through various types of cooperation, more than 3,000 Cuban public >health system workers offer their services in 55 countries, including >those who form part of the Integral Plan. > >A STORY WHICH BEGAN IN 1960 > >From 1960 onwards,more than 40,000 workers in the Cuban public health >system have gone to 80 countries on almost every continent on earth. >In the first year of the revolutionary government, when Cuba was just >starting its program for training skilled public health workers, the >Chilean earthquake in 1960 sparked the first stage of its >international aid project, in which doctors and nurses from all over >the island took part. > >In almost 20 natural disasters, including earthquakes, volcanic >eruptions, hurricanes or intense floods such as those which recently >occurred in Venezuela, workers from the Cuban public health system >have been present. > >The first brigade which was permanently based abroad was sent to >Algeria at the start of 1963 and included 58 doctors, nurses and >technicians who were sent to that North African country. > >NOT JUST TREATING ILLNESS, BUT TRAINING DOCTORS AS WELL > >The Latin American Medical School, officially inaugurated at the end >of last year, set a precedent in the new program: to fully train >young people from poor and isolated areas so they can practice >medicine in their home countries. > >In accordance with this principle, a medical school was recently >opened in the Gambia, with the participation of Cuban professors, and >a similar center is due to open shortly in Equatorial Guinea. > >Beyond the natural disasters which have set the context for this type >of cooperation, the Cuban program is inspired by the imperative need >to reverse the negative health indicators in these regions. Already >the first figures show a significant reduction in infant mortality in >those places where Cuban brigades are working. > >In Les Cayes, in the south of Haiti, Cuban doctors work together with >Father Pascal, in Saint Peter's Parish, and with Sisters Domesa, >Denis and Der-gene in an area where there is no electricity and where >malaria, tuberculosis, typhoid fever and parasitism abound. > >When I read descriptions of the Haitian communities called Fonds >Verretes or Les Anglais, I imagine our compatriots as humble >volunteers in a crusade for life, in which there continues to be an >increasing number of countries interested in their support." JC > > ************** > © Copyright GRANMA INTERNATIONAL DIGITAL EDITION. La Havana. Cuba > > Damages to cultural heritage > >"Representatives of major U.S. firms, who are afraid to market CDs >or contract performances by Compay Segundo, Omara Portuondo or >outstanding Cuban bands, come here to listen to them and ask that >they remain anonymous, for fear of their country's legislation >against the island," commented Orlando Vistel Columbio, acting >director of the Cuban Institute of Music, to Granma International, >after testifying that the blockade and U.S. extraterritorial >legislation are devaluing our finest artists. > >"When Cuban groups or solo artists travel to the United States-if >they can obtain visas-they do so as guests, and not under commercial >contracts. > >"At the time of the 1999 Music Bridge in Havana, around 40 well-known >U.S. musicians came here and spent 10 days composing with their >Cuban counterparts. The visitors acknowledged the power of our music, >our style enchanted them." > >Deputy Minister of Culture Fausto Ruben del Valle also testified at >the hearing, reiterating that the greatest damage cannot be >quantified. The gravest injuries are immeasurable, from the spiritual >point of view, and the blockade interrupted the longstanding cultural >exchange between the two nations. > >Del Valle stated that economic losses are estimated at more than >$800 million USD since 1959, including the sabotage of valuable >facilities, impediments to obtaining technology and the ban on >selling the works of eminent Cuban writers and artists in the United >States. > >That figure also covers damages for the theft of works from the >Museum of Fine Arts, and limitations on financing for restoring and >maintaining national heritage, among other acts detrimental to our >culture. > >The 1967 fire set at the Amadeo Roldýn Theater, the island's mecca >for concert music, opened a deep wound in that musical movement, >which was virtually derailed. > >Sabotage is part and parcel of the counterrevolutionary plots incited >by the United States, like the attacks on 10 movie theaters, which >not only cost more than one million dollars, but also caused >injuries. > >As a child, witness Enrique Enriquez suffered from one of those >criminal acts. Even now, at 50, he cannot erase the trauma caused he >experienced while enjoying an afternoon show. All of a sudden, he saw >the flames around him in the Riejo movie theater, in Pinar del R'o >province. > >All the islandŐs technology for making and projecting films came from >the United States. When the blockade started, it had to be replaced, >because of a lack of parts to maintain that technology. Repair and >maintenance costs alone have totaled some $40 million USD since then. > >Works of major value have been stolen from the Museum of Fine Arts >and subsequently sold in auctions in U.S. cities. Cuba has made >attempts to rescue them: "We presented proof to demonstrate that >there has been illicit traffic, but without any result," Deputy >Minister Del Valle tesified. > >Promotion of the islandŐs visual arts in the United States has been >nil. A study undertaken by specialists from the National Arts Council >revealed that in the last 10 years, we have lost an income of more >than $5.222 million USD because we have not been able to participate >in major auctions, Del Valle testified. >Foreign producers who have shown an interest in filming in Cuba have >come >under pressure not to enter into business with the Cuban Film >Institute >(ICAIC). > >CUBAN RUM IN THE UNITED STATES? > >Conservative calculations indicate that Cuban rum could take over 10% >of the U.S. rum market, given the fact that drinks manufactured by >Bacardi now occupy 80%. > >"The loss of that market has occasioned a potential loss of income >equal over one billion dollars in rum exports to the United States >from 1959 up until last year," confirmed expert witnesses Gonzalo >Gonzýlez and Marino Murillo, deputy minister and economic director of >the Ministry of the Food Industry (MINAL), respectively. Presenting >figures for damages to that industry, they estimated the global total >at $1.45 billion USD, resulting from the need to reorient exports, >the increased prices of imported food, shipping costs, technological >changes and economic sabotage. > >SABOTAGE OF TEXTILE AND FOOTWEAR FACTORIES > >On the second Sunday of May 1968, Ivan Lugo and Elias Moya, both 26 >years old and combatants with the Ministry of the Interior, lost >their lives in Havana's Buines footwear factory, while fighting the >flames resulting from an arson attack perpetrated by individuals >acting under the wing of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. >That was only one of many acts of sabotage carried out against Cuban >light industry, according to Leonel C. Amador, deputy minister of >that sector. > >During the 1960-1968 period, members of the terrorist group calling >itself the Liberation Army paralyzed looms belonging to the Mayabeque >textile factory in southern Havana province by introducing ground >glass into the process. They also set fire to the OK mattress factory >and the whole I inventory was lost. > >Pieces of glass were introduced into bars of soap distributed to >the population on the ration system and manufactured in the Gravi >factory in Matanzas. > >An attack on the tannery in Caibari*n in central Cuba resulted in a >lack of footwear for agricultural work, such as boots for cane >cutters and other tasks requiring protective footwear. The blockade's >impact led to an absence of raw materials previously acquired in the >United States to soften hides and, as that country had a monopoly in >this sector, shoe production was badly affected in terms of quality. >The textile industry's necessary renovation due to a lack of spare >parts led to considerable investments in the 1970s, costing the >country more than $120 million USD derived from the opening and >modification of 27 textile plants. > >After the Helms-Burton Act was passed, the supplier of acrylic yarn >canceled its contract with Cuba, stated Amador, who added that for >similar reasons the island's cotton suppliers withdrew and that >material has to be acquired through third countries. > >Summing up his statement covering the economic damages and negative >effects nationwide in that sector, the deputy minister calculated the >total cost of the blockade at approximately $1.2 billion USD. > >CUBAN INDUSTRY BESIEGED BY ECONOMIC WARFARE > >The total damages to sectors of the Ministry of Basic Industry >(MINBAS) by the blockade and dozens of direct acts of aggression >amount to $1.084 billion USD over 40 years. The paper, electrical, >chemical, nickel and mining groups and Cubapetr-leo have suffered not >only sabotage and pirate attacks on their facilities, but have had to >confront various obstacles to their operations and development. > >Those arguments were put to the court by MINBAS Deputy Minister >Vicente Llano Ross during his testimony on the fourth day of the >hearing in the Cuban people's lawsuit for economic damages against >the U.S. government. > >For example, Cubapetroleo has had to invest $70.6 million USD to >increase its storage capacity, given the distance of oil supply >sources. Technology dating from the country's capitalist period had >to undergo an abrupt adaptation after the Revolution, with the need >to make innovations in order to maintain or repair parts and >machinery that couldn't be acquired in the United States or other >nations. The economy was unable to assume the massive transportation >costs and the prices of modern technology in distant markets. > >The Electrical Union, equipped with U.S. generating plants, also >began to feel the scarcity of spare parts in the '60s. More than >three million dollars were spent on machine tools alone, in order to >produce components. >An increase in fuel consumption and instability in the >transmission networks, resulting from the impossibility of buying >equipment due to heavy U.S. pressure on the manufacturing countries, >are still a reality today. > >In the case of the chemical industry, the damages are >palpable: deterioration of facilities, loss of markets, lowered >quality and production levels. The Rayonera company in Matanzas >reports losses of approximately $64 million USD resulting from halts >in production, of which $31.1 million correspond to export items. >Meanwhile, the idle years and subsequent rehabilitation of the >Sulfometales plant with European technology cost $42.8 million USD. > >Between 1992 and 1993, there were negotiations with a Canadian >company to create a joint venture for a rubber factory. The United >States blocked the project, which would have signified a benefit of >nine million dollars for Cuba, through the introduction of new >technology. > >Carlos Perez Marrero, marketing director of the paper industry, >testified that five major foreign paper-producing companies had >showed an interest in forming economic associations with the island. >These attempts were likewise frustrated by U.S. action, given that >the companies concerned had commercial interests in the United >States. The consolidation of those contracts would have brought in >some $26 million USD. > >The closed doors of the island's natural market in that sector, the >United States, has forced Cuba to spend over $20 million USD in the >last 10 years on the raw materials. >For his part, Miguel Perez Abreu informed the court of the >blockade's effects on the industrial gas enterprise. > >The carbon dioxide plant's technology, a high energy consumer, could >not be replaced because of the blockade. The plant utilizes three >times more electrical energy per cubic meter of oxygen than in the >rest of the world. >Spare parts are purchased in distant markets like China, Japan and >Brazil, at a cost of close to three million dollars per year. > >To the list of damages from economic warfare against the country are >added the sabotage of and direct attacks on facilities, in the form >of bombings, the placing of explosive devices, sub-machine gun and >bazooka shots. " JC > > __________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi ___________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe/unsubscribe messages mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________
